Meditation

Hi I’m new here. Suffered with chronic migraine for 10+ years. I have botox therapy which has halved my frequency and reduced aggressiveness and duration of migraine – improved efficiency of Triptans. I have tried Topamax, amitriptyline, gabapentin, lamotrigine and beta blockers with varying degrees of success. I have recently tried meditation which appears to have some benefits, namely brain fog on waking, (restful sleep is a distant memory) less general anxiety, better quality sleep, less body tension, improved mood … anyone else tried this ? Thanks Kerry

YES, YES, and YES! I took a meditation course last fall and found it very helpful with anxiety, sleep issues, mood, tension and more. I couldn’t agree more that meditation can be a welcome addition to a migraine management plan!

Thank you so much for sharing your success with us – we love hearing this!!!

While I am aware of traditional meditative forms, I wonder if someone can gain the same benefits from other mindful work? Meaning, are there other activities that can be considered effectively ‘meditation’? For instance, what about carefully, slowly, and mindfully reading a text in a foreign language? Bear with me for a moment while I explain.

My native language is English. I learned the Hebrew alphabet when in my late twenties. Hebrew is difficult because it uses a different alphabet, is read from right to left, does not employ capital letters, and contains many diacritical marks both above and below letters. In addition, traditional Hebrew texts (like the Old Testament) do not contain paragraph breaks or punctuation. So, my point being, reading Biblical Hebrew requires incredible focus.

I try to read Biblical Hebrew from the original texts for about an hour per evening. I find this incredibly relaxing. It is not possible for me to think about problems while doing this sort of activity.

Is it possible that this sort of ‘mindful’ activity would count as meditation? Would one garner the same positive effects?

First one is to focus on my breath for a couple of minutes. Breathing normally and noticing the inhalation and what it feels like. And the exhalation. It works to quiet the mind.

The second one is to belly breath, inhale through my nose and exhale through my mouth. Inhale and exhale both to the count of 7.

I don’t recommend the second one if you’re in a lot of pain. It has made it feel worse. The first exercise works like a charm for me. May not take the pain away, but it does help the stress, anxiety and sometimes even nausea.